Exploring your public research profile An overview of the opportunities and tools available to you to develop your research presence online. 1 Managing Research Profiles and Output 8th March 2016

How are they relevant to researchers? 2 I must write a blog about this!

The academic research cycle 3 From the Research Information Network’s Social Media: A guide for researchers (

The academic research cycle 4 From the Research Information Network’s Social Media: A guide for researchers ( DISCOVER CREATE EVALUATE SHARE

Some key social media tools to enhance your public research profile 5 Photo by Lukeroberts (Wikimedia Commons) CC BY-SA 2.5 PhotoCC BY-SA 2.5 Maybe I should use a different brush!

Micro-blogging: Twitter 6 A waste of time? Yes, for those with time to waste… …a valuable filtering, communication and dissemination channel for everyone else! Use Twitter: to follow and connect with people with similar interests; to filter relevant information; to participate in discussions (e.g. #ecrchat). to exchange short reflective notes during an event (using the event #tag) to share updates, opinions, resources and information with followers; to keep up-to-date with funding opportunities, calls for papers, etc.

Twitter Anatomy of a “tweet” identifies Twitter username (handle) Mention – when you mention someone # (hashtag) used to categorise tweets. Similar to a keyword Short URL Number of times this tweet has been “retweeted” People who have “retweeted” or “Favorited” the tweet For further info on Twitter read the LSE guide guide “Using Twitter in university research, teaching, and impact activities” (

Blogging 8 Use a blog: As a collaborative space to keep a log of ideas, resources, events attended, etc. As a private space for reflection and note-taking (similar to a personal diary). As a public-facing website to:  develop a personal voice and presence;  receive early feedback on research ideas;  record reflexions on research or events attended;  engage with a wider audience;  tell stories related to your research.

Social bookmarking: Pinterest 9 Use Pinterest: to create a virtual pin board; to collect and organise “pins” to relevant websites, blogs, pictures; to create visual impact; to share boards and pins with others.

Wikipedia 10 Dr Evan Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History in the Department of History.

Wikipedia 11 Dr Evan Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History in the Department of History. “Given the great public interest in the exploits of John Cabot, millions of people had followed the story in the media and many came forward with important information. Some of this information has been used by Evan to update the page on John Cabot in Wikipedia, using the page as an effective way of sharing research findings with the public and as a tool to garner further public contribution. All these developments have resulted in the research becoming an international collaboration, encompassing academics in Italy, Canada, Australia and the United States. It also led to him receiving additional funding, of £120,000, from a private Canadian benefactor.”

Media sharing: videos (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo) 12 Use YouTube: to tell stories around your research; to communicate your research to wider audiences; to embed videos in your website or blog; to build a community of researchers with similar interests; to articulate ideas clearly for a range of audiences; to get feedback via comments and reviews.

Media sharing: SlideShare 13 Use SlideShare: to store and share your presentations; to embed presentations in your website or blog; to promote yourself as a presenter/speaker; to get feedback from others; to view presentations by others; to publicise and promote your research.

Social networking: LinkedIn 14 Use LinkedIn: to promote your research activities and publications; to join groups and engage in discussions with peers; to build a professional network beyond the boundaries of academia; to promote visibility for jobs & consulting opportunities. to network for funding and employment opportunities.

Social networking for academics: ResearchGate 15 Use ResearchGate: to create exposure for your work; to discuss your research and connect with other researchers in your field; to ask questions to get help with your research; to showcase your skills and expertise so that potential collaborators can find you.

Other social media tools for researchers  Academia.edu ( – aimed at academics around the worldwww.academia.edu  MethodSpace ( – aimed at social scientists, run by SAGE publishingwww.methodspace.com  Colwiz ( – research collaboration and productivity platform to manage the entire research lifecyclewww.colwiz.com  ORCID (orcid.org) – an international standard for creating and maintaining a registry of unique researcher IDs and a method of linking research outputs to these identifiers.orcid.org 16

 People: Is it just you or your team?  Purpose: What are your primary goals (e.g. are you trying to communicate research results; find collaborators; promote your work?)  Audiences: Who are you trying to reach (e.g. other researchers; lay people; funders, etc)?  Current conversation: Who are the thought leaders in your field? What are they saying? What tools do they use?  Tools: What are the best tools for your goals and audiences?  Content: What content will you share (e.g. news updates; research activities; photos; videos; views; etc)?  Identity: What name, logo, etc are you going to use?  Evaluation: How will you measure success? Things to consider when building your strategy* Photo by kenteegardin CC BY-SA 2.0 PhotoCC BY-SA 2.0 * Krista Jensen, (

Good examples of social media use by researchers 18

Questions? 19 Photo by Leo Reynolds CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 PhotoCC BY-NC-SA 2.0